UVic Science

Bring a little science to Halloween this year with our Science-themed pumpkin carving templates, put together just for you! 🎃 We've got 13 different templates ranging from easy to hard, and representing all kinds of science disciplines. https://ow.ly/k1wi5101yP7

Ligers, tigons and pizzly bears, oh my! Join us to chat all about hybridization—the process whereby two different species produce offspring. Long thought to be rare and universally bad, modern work has shown this isn't the case! https://ow.ly/CRnY50ZZwkp 📅 November 9 | 7 p.m. | The Vicious Poodle

Every year, our faculty complement changes slightly. This year, we've welcomed two new faculty members: Xiaomeng Ju (MATH) and Adrian Marchetti (BIOL and SEOS). We've also promoted six faculty members, and waved goodbye to two as they headed off into retirement. https://ow.ly/Qfss50ZQQMz

Artificial intelligence (AI) and ethics can be a bit of a messy space. Come get dirty with us. Join us on Oct. 18 for the 2026 Lipson Lecture as we explore the ethics of AI with bestselling author and researcher Brian Christian. https://ow.ly/LcY250ZQnLE

UVic PhD graduate Allison Selinger has just been awarded the Royal Society of Canada's Alice Wilson Award, which recognizes outstanding academic achievement by emerging women scholars. https://ow.ly/g5xw50ZO5f3

UVic astrophysicist Sara Ellison is officially a member of the Royal Society of Canada! Ellison is a world leader in the study of galaxy evolution whose discoveries have opened up major new avenues in galactic chemistry, supermassive black holes and star formation. https://ow.ly/LlNa50ZLFWZ

How a machine learning model that predicts a cancer subtype led to a $100,000 scholarship. Jason Zhang, a graduate of Mount Doug Secondary School, is this year's Schulich Leader Scholar for the Faculty of Science, receiving a $100,000 scholarship to support his studies. https://ow.ly/CnwZ50ZJ1Y6

Our expertise in phytoplankton and climate change research is growing! Biological oceanographer Adrian Marchetti has recently arrived at UVic as the BC Leadership Chair in Marine Ecosystems and Global Change. https://ow.ly/pGAB50ZFW6E

Changes are afoot! The Department of Biochemistry & Microbiology is officially renaming to the School of Molecular Life Sciences (MLSC) and will be transitioning from offering a BSc in Biochemistry or Microbiology to a new BSc in Molecular Life Sciences. https://ow.ly/lhlC50ZxPME

Three UVic Science researchers have been awarded a combined $3.65 million from CIHR. 🙌 Their research will explore disorders where motion perception is impaired, how diet influences immune function in people with cancer and how food allergies are developed and prevented. https://ow.ly/gqWn50Zvfbb

Another year of bringing science to Pride. 🌈 A group of UVic Science faculty, staff and students participated in Victoria's Pride Parade earlier this summer. Pride flags, tie-dyed lab coats and other colourful attire was the star of the day! Everyone is welcome in Science. ❤️

These changes also mean that @katemoran.bsky.social is now a professor in @seos-uvic.bsky.social. We're happy to have you, Kate!

Recent changes at Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) have resulted in exciting news for the Faculty of Science! Kate Moran's term as President and CEO of ONC concluded on June 30, and former SEOS Director Jay T. Cullen has been named the Interim President and CEO! 🔗Details: https://ow.ly/YfFU50Zup1J

While Trump may be blaming Canada for recent wildfire smoke, UVic climate scientist Andrew Weaver is pointing a finger at climate change in a recent The Conversation Canada article, arguing that Canada cannot log, rake or prescribe burn its way out of a planetary problem. https://ow.ly/7E4L50Zu2Pr

Are we entering a new "golden age" of mathematics? Recently, new results that have been leveraging AI to solve research-level mathematics problems. Where is this going? UVic math professor Trefor Bazett is tackling this question in a new The Conversation Canada article. https://ow.ly/eVXj50Ztyn5

Not all of our professors were educated at UVic, but some of them were educated by UVic alumni. And those alumni have changed the course of their lives. Read about chemistry professor David Leitch and the alumni who shaped his path. https://ow.ly/6xoA50Zs9wq

The Glover Greenhouse has a fresh new look, and we're opening the doors on Wednesday, July 29 for you to explore! 🪴 Join us for a summer BBQ at the Greenhouse: https://ow.ly/TxMk50Zrl7a

Local high school student Jason Zhang has received a $100,000 Schulich Leadership Scholarship to attend UVic next fall. 🎊 Jason recently graduated from Mount Doug Secondary School, and is currently planning to study math and data science. https://ow.ly/OnqM50ZmARM

UVic Science researchers have received a combined $8.76 million in research funding from the most recent round of NSERC funding, announced on July 7. 🎊 🔗 Explore the successful grants: https://ow.ly/rjIF50ZlQZn

UVic PhD student Wesley Greentree recently joined the Outdoor Journal Radio podcast to explain how everyday anglers are helping scientists study Chinook salmon. Check out the episode! open.spotify.com/episode/0rlV...

Congratulations to Daniel Garduno Ruiz, who was recently recognized with the CMOS-SCMO Tertia M.C. Hughes Graduate Student Prize in recognition of his PhD dissertation. Daniel's thesis explored how interactions between climate and atmospheric chemistry shaped the evolution of atmospheric oxygen.

Five field courses. Four co-op terms. One degree in biology and environmental studies. Meet one of our newest graduates, Anakin Bennett. https://ow.ly/VQUW50Z9eaO

UVic PhD student Darienne Lancaster has been using AI to decipher fish sounds. She discovered that even closely related fish species make unique and distinctive sounds, and that it's possible to differentiate between the sounds of different species. #WorldOceanDay https://ow.ly/JfU050Z8Fkc

☀️ Biology professor Dr. Julia K. Baum has been studying the ecological impacts of the 2021 North American heat wave. Some mussel populations declined by over 90%, counts of surf scoter dropped 56%, and sea lettuce increased its real estate by 65%. #WorldOceanDay https://ow.ly/I8z750Z8Fh2

UVic geologists Stacey Edmundson and Blake Dyer have integrated field geology with statistical modelling to give scientists a new view of the chemical reactions happening on ocean floors billions of years ago. #WorldOceanDay https://ow.ly/jIeR50Z8Fj2

A partnership between scientists and anglers is helping us better understand the food chain in the Salish Sea. By analyzing the stomach content of Chinook salmon, UVic PhD student Wesley Greentree identied regional and seasonal diet differences. #WorldOceanDay https://ow.ly/onWM50Z8Fe3

UVic PhD student Brian Timmer has been diving into the historical record to reconstruct historical baselines for kelp in the northern Salish Sea. His research found that some kelp forests were disappearing far earlier than scientists previously thought. #WorldOceanDay https://ow.ly/oqQK50Z8FaS

The climate crisis is no longer a future risk, and the framing that we can't afford climate action is no longer economically defensible. These are the arguments that UVic climate change ecologist Dr. Julia K. Baum has made in a recent The Globe and Mail op-ed. 🔗 https://ow.ly/J2wV50Z8sq8

Two UVic Science postdoctoral fellows are helping to move forward conservation work in the Salish Sea. Audrey Looby and Kelsie Murchy, both post-docs in the Juanes Lab, are members of the third cohort of Salish Sea Fellows with the Salish Sea Institute. https://ow.ly/yvQn50Z4xp0

Come tour the RV John Strickland at Fisherman's Wharf during World Ocean Day events on May 31! The Strickland, our research vessel, has been a core part of research and teaching for the last 50 years. Climb aboard, tour the vessel and learn a about ocean research at UVic! https://ow.ly/zOtC50Z4xeT

The field-based chapter of my PhD is out in @cjfas.bsky.social! 🎣 We quantified barotrauma in British Columbia rockfishes (n=352) and tested descending devices around Entrance Island. Read here: dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjfa...

There's no better time than International Astronomy Day to learn about how supercomputers are helping scientists solve a stellar mystery—revealing how material from the interior of red giant stars makes its way to the surface as stars evolve. 👉 Read the full story: https://ow.ly/t7NV50YPJzy

If you're looking for a new book and love science, we've got you covered! A list of 12 popular science books, as recommended by UVic Science faculty and staff. Pick one up this summer, and let us know what you think! 🔗 www.uvic.ca/science/home... #WorldBookDay

UVic scientist Julia Baum is bringing her expertise in blue carbon to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). She has been selected as a Lead Author for their Methodology Report on Carbon Dioxide Removal Technologies, Carbon Capture, Utilization & Storage. www.uvic.ca/science/home...

Extreme weather events come fast and with little warning, and we need to be proactive about managing them. If not, species will die out as the areas they live in cease to be habitable for them. Learn about the ecological impacts of BC's 2021 heat dome👇 www.nationalobserver.com/2026/03/30/n...

All animals and plants engage in intimate and important associations with microbes, and humans are no exception. In April's Café Scientifique talk, we're going to be introduced to the most abundant host-associated microbe on the planet. April 14 | 7 p.m. | The Mint https://ow.ly/5PTc50YAqSw

Luc Simard (PhD in Physics, 1996) is the Director General of the Herzberg Astronomy & Astrophysics Research Centre and has helped shape Canada’s role in some of the most ambitious astronomy projects ever undertaken. He is also a 2026 UVic Presidents' Alumni Award recipient. https://ow.ly/unGK50YyX7H

It's no secret that we are seeing an erosion of trust in science. Join us to hear from Nobel laureate Donna Strickland on why science literacy is important, why trust in science is eroding and how we can restore that trust. March 25 | 3:30 p.m. | BWC A104 https://ow.ly/ata150YwzJL

The perspective of deep time can provide a powerful lens to view the changes that we are living through today. Come explore what we know about sea-level rise during warm periods in history and what that tells us about the future ahead. March 30, 2026 | 7 p.m. | BWC B150 https://ow.ly/3pPc50Ywzlr